Everyone loves a good story. We all have different tastes in the kinds of stories we enjoy. Some of us like thrilling stories. Some of us like fantasies or science fiction. When we read a story we get lost in the narrative. Enmeshed with the world on-page, we identify with the characters, we make meaning out of the messages, we visualize a world different from, or similar, to our own. What most people don’t realize is that they are the main character of their own story. They have the ability to decide where their story goes, and to change the different stories they tell themselves along the way. Our life is a narrative and within it there are many sub-narratives that enrich our greater story. Narrative therapy allows you to work through your problems much like you would in a story.

Addiction can become part of our story when we forget we get to decide how our story goes. Slowly but surely, we give more of our story away to other narratives, most of which don’t belong to us. We pick up behaviors, beliefs, problems, and opinions about ourselves and about others which aren’t ours to have. All we have to do is change the narrative, by changing our story, to have a different outcome.

What Is Narrative Therapy?

Narrative therapy is a type of addiction therapy that was developed to help people separate themselves from their problems. Instead of feeling helpless at the hands of another story, narrative therapy helps clients realize they have the power and capability of using their own tools to change the problem or the way their story is going to go. Many feel that narrative therapy is like waking up in a dream or realizing that they can control our own lives. For many people, the breakthroughs in narrative therapy are profound. We forget that we are capable beings, with tools, who can work through problems. We become convinced that we are stuck within a story instead of realizing we get to change the narrative of our thoughts, actions, and behaviors if we want to. Through narrative therapy, we realize that everything we experience in life is part of the story from which we can learn, gain experience or knowledge, and grow.

Narrative therapy helps patients objectify their problems, see the big picture of their problems, and teach them how to include others in their stories. By using this treatment method, patients are introduced to processes of thinking they may not have used before. With the new process, those in recovery can approach future situations with a better understanding of how to handle it, even if it has not happened to them before.

How is Narrative Therapy Used?

Narrative therapy can be used in individual or group, or family therapy sessions. The goal of it is to have patients look at their problems objectively in order to see them in a new light. It can improve communications and help people reconnect in their relationships. Since therapists see the problems from the outside, they can provide a different context to help.

Get Help From Oceanfront Recovery

Every addiction case is unique. We understand that and want to make sure you get the best and most effective treatment available. We offer a number of programs that can help overcome addiction once and for all. Some of these programs include:

Your story has meaning. Don’t let it end in drug and alcohol addiction. At Oceanfront Recovery we believe that when you change your story, you can change your life. Let us show you how. For information on our men’s dual diagnosis treatment programs, call us today at 877.279.1777.